Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory Archive

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SUB-6: IJN I-400

Mosaic: I-400 conning towerSurvey: I-400Survey: I-401Survey: I-402Survey: I-403Survey: I-404Survey: I-405Survey: I-406Survey: I-407Survey: I-408Survey: I-409Survey: I-410Survey: I-411Survey: I-412Survey: I-413Survey: I-414Survey: I-415Survey: I-416Survey: I-417Survey: I-418Survey: I-419Historic photo: I-400 towerHistoric photo: I-14 Historic bellHistoric photo: I-400 class inside conning towerHistoric photo: WE Stringfellow I-400 prize crewHistoric photo: Type 96 25mm AAHistoric photo: I-400 hangarDiagram: Serian


HURL Artifact No. SUB-6 *Denotes approximations and speculations
Name: I-400 (Hangar/Tower) Lost: 4-Jun-1946
Artifact Type: Submarine Hangar & Conning Tower Found: 30-Oct-2014
Nationality: Japanese Dive No: PIV-278/PV-835
Class or Make: I-400 Location: Barber's Pt.
Model: Sen Toku Depth (m): 566m
Purpose: Aircraft stowage & Sub conning HURL crew: Cremer, Uetani, Tokomaru/Kerby, Van Tilburg, Chinen
Serial Number: n/a Additional Dives:
Built/Launched: 1/18/1943; Kure Naval Yard, Japan
Length: 80'
Width: 20'
Height: 20'
Circumstance of Loss: Torpedoed Crew Personnel/Position: 144 Officers and Men
Reason of Loss: Used as target (Sunk by USS Trumpetfish SS-425) Crew Survivals/Fatalities: n/a
Artifact History: The hangar was designed to hold 3 Aichi M6A Seiran aircraft which could all be launched in about 30-40 minutes. The hangar was a separate compartment from the submarine, but could be accessed from within the sub while submerged. The conning tower was used to navigate the sub while on the surface. The tower was offset to the port of centerline to accommodate the hangar.
Artifact Condition: The hangar was found 60-70m away from the main body of the submarine. The door is entirely off and lying on the seabed with its inside facing upward. The hangar is strewn about in several sections and various portions of debris. All 3 anti-aircraft guns were seen. Two were inverted and one was on its side. The conning tower was found lying on its side with its periscopes extended. Among the debris was seen a brass ship's bell.
Additional Information: The hangar bay, conning tower, and anti-aircraft guns were not found on the discovery dive of the main body, but on the second dive to the site in 2015. The ship's bell was recovered on a test dive in 2016 and after conservation it was placed in the care of the USS Bowfin Museum for display.

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Revised March 18, 2019 by Meagan Putts
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